Oftentimes it's not the foods we consume that's the issue, it's the products we use to cover the food. Right now we're going to be viewing one of the biggest condiment culprits… tomato ketchup!
I really like ketchup, I slop it on everything. And so this hits home to me.
Tomatoes are a healthy option, aren't they?
Ketchup is primarily created with tomatoes. And that means you may imagine that it's not too bad. We know that it's also rich in sugar, still tomatoes are vegetables, right? So at the least you're gaining the nutritional value from those.
Well not if you boil them to death!
Ketchup is essentially comprised of extremely over cooked tomatoes which have lost just about all of their nutrition, some water along with a LOT of sugar.
The sugar in ketchup may be worth a more detailed look. Because of the fact that, whilst it starts out as sugar (and this is already undesirable) before it is added to the bottle it's processed into high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and that is significantly worse! In addition to this, you have flavourings, such as MSG, that make us need it more.
When MSG earned me a kiss!
It appears that MSG is in pretty much everything everything. I recall several years ago, I was on a date with a super hot girl I'd been chasing for the better part of a year. We were eating Malteasers and she challenged me to identify the ingredients.
I said most of the obvious ones, then I rolled the malteaser around in my mouth as though attempting to indentify a different flavour, before saying 'monosodium glutamate?' She instantaneously scrutinised the ingredients and was shocked by my super-tasting powers, which earned me a kiss!!
I'm almost certainly the one guy in the world that's actually got anything good from MSG (well me along with the whole food production industry which use it to make us hooked on their products!)
So, ketchup is bad. The sole healthy ingredient has long shed its value and all the additional ingredients have been linked with many health issues.
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is connected with:
- Being overweight
- Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- Cancers
…and it possesses basically no nutrition. It only makes stuff sweeter, so that you eat much more of it.
Is MSG really bad for you?
Should you choose to do a search on MSG, there are actually a number of articles declaring that it has a bad reputation but it really isn't that unhealthy. Then you'll stumble into this quote:
“It’s probably one of the most harmful substances that one can eat.”
Michael Galitzer MD
I sincerely feel like there's a little bit of a conspiracy happening, intending to prevent most folk from learning the truth about MSG. To ensure we continue consuming foods that happen to be packed with it.
MSG can cause something named a 'Leaky Gut' which sounds disgusting as well as being linked to
- Bloated tummy
- Wind
- Diarrhea
- Stomach cramps
I have to admit, on more than one occasion I've suffered with all of these, especially after stuffing myself with a greasy takeaway.
Wholesome Ketchup solutions
So, returning to ketchup. We really like it. And we want to carry on using it. However we don't want 'Leaky Gut'
The most excellent alternative to store acquired ketchup may be to cook your very own.
If you would fancy giving that a go, then check out this video tutorial:
Steps to make your very own easy fast and ultra nourishing ketchup
For those who just don't have enough time to do that, there are also a few store purchased ketchups that are a healthier selection.
In 2010 ConAgra removed the HFCS from their ketchup (Hunt's Ketchup) yet they added it back a couple years later. The reason? Well I would say that they were expecting to cash in on peoples escalating awareness of the health risks of HFCS and anticipating that their far healthier option might gain them a better share of the marketplace.
I don't for a second feel that they actually did it out of concern for our health.
Obviously, it didn't work, since they put it back. But folks are increasingly getting more health conscious, so most likely they'll give it another go when they believe that the public is ready for it. It's certainly well worth picking up a bottle and reviewing the ingredients now and again.
Why not try tomato puree?
A second possibility, but admittedly not an incredibly tasty one, could be to use tomato puree as an alternative to ketchup. In recipes this works perfectly, but as a condiment it's honestly not the same. Tomato puree isn't as sweet and has an exceptionally strong flavour. However spend time with it, add just a little sweeter and see what you can come up with. I'm confident that whatever you end up with it'll be quite a bit more nutritional as compared with any store bought ketchup!
As long as you don't cook all of the nutrients away, fill it with HFCS or lace it with 'gut-leaking' MSG! Aside of that, go nuts, even adding some sugar and you'll probably still have an improved ketchup compared to the one you're buying now.
Tomato puree (blended with a sweetener) is a great alternative to producing your own ketchup since it can last considerably longer than fresh tomatoes, needs far less space in your cooler and it is effortless to rustle up in a few seconds when needed. They it, and let em know how it goes.